


Ghost of a Chance

by Tarlan



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-30
Updated: 2011-04-30
Packaged: 2017-10-18 19:50:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even with the fear of Ella Gaines hanging over him, Chris decides to take a chance on love again...with Ezra.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghost of a Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **d8rkmessngr** for her wonderful donation at LiveJournal's help_japan.
> 
> I'm pleased you enjoy YOUR story, and thank you again, R, for your generosity and kind words, and for allowing me to share this story. :D

Chris knew from early in his teens that he wasn't quite like the other boys around him. Granted, he loved football, baseball, hell, any kind of sport, and he was damned fine at all of them too--captain of the football team--but when they all hit the showers after a match, Chris found himself just as fascinated and turned on by a man's body as by the curves of one of the cheerleaders and groupies that hung around the team. Other boys fell into two camps. The majority liked only girls, and just one or two openly acknowledged that they were gay, preferring only other boys. Chris walked that fine line, flirting openly with the girls and secretly with the boys, and he managed to survive to Graduation without anyone the wiser. It wasn't that he was ashamed of that part of himself, and he would have owned up to it if anyone had asked, but it was just easier to keep his bisexuality private.

When the question came up, Chris never denied it on any official forms, figuring that concealment could do more harm than good at some point in his future. It was for this reason that he never enlisted in the military despite all the ATF gossip to the contrary. The gossip had him and Buck pegged as former Navy SEALs and neither had done anything to dissuade the people passing along those rumors because it suited their purpose, and it was close enough to the truth anyway.

He smiled a little as he recalled how he first met Buck, both of them recruited straight from college.

The truth was that he and Buck had met as CIA operatives, because the CIA wasn't so picky about a man's gender preference, seeing Chris's bisexuality as an asset rather than a flaw. He and Buck had gone through the same rigorous training regime as a Navy SEAL; learning stealth, weaponry, bomb manufacturing and disposal--and how to kill--but also how to use their sexuality to get the information they wanted, or to convince one of the other side to defect. After a particularly bad mission concerning a double agent, it was Federal Judge Travis who had overseen his and Buck's recruitment within the ATF. Though Buck had been offered the chance to head up his own team right from the start, he had refused and stayed with Chris.

The first time he fell in love just happened to be with a woman, and he had fallen so very hard for Sarah Connelly.

"You're gay?"

Buck clipped JD upside the head. "Not gay, bisexual. Chris just likes to spread the love around both genders, whereas I prefer the beautiful curves of a woman." He illustrated his preference with his hands, earning an eye roll from Nathan and a head shake from Vin.

Chris noticed that only one of the team seemed noticeably shocked by the revelation.

"But you were married," JD blurted out, and Chris drew in a sharp breath at the reminder of all that he had lost when a woman he had seduced as part of an undercover CIA operation into military espionage had taken an unhealthy interest in him.

It turned out that Ella had been a double agent and she had managed to slip the net when the CIA closed in on her. With his and Buck's covers well and truly blown in the intelligence circles, they had left the CIA soon after that disastrous mission, and found a home in the ATF. That was where he met Sarah. She was amazing both as a person and as one of the few female ATF agents who had made team leader; dedicated and resourceful, and one hell of a shot. It had been so easy to fall in love with her, and to marry her. Her fiery, Irish temper had kept him on his toes, especially when he had tried to make her give up work when she fell pregnant with Adam.

It had almost destroyed him when Sarah and Adam were murdered, and he had lost his ATF team leadership for a time while he struggled to come to terms with the all-consuming grief, losing himself too often in the bottom of a whiskey glass. When he finally returned, he had expected to be back on the bottom rung, with no one willing to serve with him but, instead, Travis had offered him the chance to create his own team: Team 7.

Just when the wounds had started to heal, he almost lost it again when he discovered that Ella Gaines had been behind the death of his family. For years he had struggled with that mystery especially as no one had come forward to claim responsibility for the car bomb. At the time, he and Buck had checked through the long list of Sarah's enemies--mostly mercenaries and gunrunners she had brought to justice during her time in the ATF--but, at the back of his mind, he had always wondered if his own past had been responsible.

Solving that mystery should have helped him to lay their ghosts to rest, and to a point he had felt a little more at peace once he knew who was to blame, but it hadn't stopped the burn for vengeance. Yet when he'd had the chance, he had not shot Ella, and Chris wondered how much of that came down to the oath he had sworn upon entering the ATF; an oath to uphold the law. Shooting an unarmed person in the back--even if that person was Ella Gaines--went against that oath. Eventually, though, he knew their paths would cross again. In the unmarked letter she had sent to him while he recuperated from a gunshot wound sustained during the attempt to apprehend her, Ella had more or less promised that she'd be back, signing off her name as Mrs. Ella Larabee.

In the year since that incident, Chris had pulled strings and cashed in favors, but to no avail. Ella was good. She had buried herself deep and Chris knew he would just have to wait her out, but it had left him jittery, unable to take advantage of the few romantic offers he had gained over recent years. Instead he had pushed people away, afraid that while Ella was still out there, history would repeat itself should he find another person to love.

He had pushed away Mary Travis. The attraction had lain more of her side than on his anyway, but he had considered her a good friend and, perhaps under different circumstances, he might have married her in some ill-advised hope of regaining a little of what he had lost with Sarah and Adam. Instead, the thought of her and Billy ending up the same way as his dead wife and child had haunted him. He was afraid Ella would misread their friendship and see Mary and her boy as a threat to her insane fixation on becoming his wife.

What Chris couldn't figure out was how to push away Ezra Standish.

Everything about the man had drawn Chris in from the first time they met. He still recalled watching Ezra hold off a room full of wary, gun-toting bikers in a bar just outside of Denver. He remembered how Ezra's body language had shifted from drunk to sober in the snap of that tiny derringer appearing in his hand. Chris hadn't known who Ezra was at the time; hadn't known that he carried a badge and was there to apprehend a biker who was wanted in connection to several robberies that crossed state lines. Yet something about Ezra had screamed FED, and if Ezra had needed or called for back up then Chris would have supplied it.

Fate brought them back together a few days after that incident, and it hadn't taken long for Chris to convince Ezra to transfer across from FBI to ATF. Perhaps they'd both been in need a clean start.

Over the last three years, they had danced around each other, with both of them too burned by the past to take a gamble. Ezra had likely already known or at least suspected that Chris batted for both teams but he had said nothing, and Chris knew Ezra was one of those men who preferred bedding only other men. Sometimes the sexual tension between them had been palpable, but a snarl from Chris or a facetious comment from Ezra had kept the distance between them.

Revealing his bisexuality to the whole team would only make it that much harder because he had torn down that final barrier between them. Though if JD was stunned by Chris's open admission of bisexuality, then he would probably be even more shocked to learn that Ezra was gay because Ezra was very good at faking interest in women. If he hadn't joined one of the three-letter enforcement agencies then Chris believed Ezra might have made it as an actor. Certainly he had the flamboyance and the ability to shift character almost effortlessly, as if trained in the dramatic arts, and he had been a top undercover agent in the FBI before unfounded accusations had tarnished his reputation. Chris had taken a chance on him, and had never regretted it...on a professional level.

Chris slid a glance across the table, catching a look in Ezra's green eyes that could have covered any emotion from feigned interest to bitter disappointment, but that poker face was hard to crack at the best of times despite how open it seemed to others outside of the team. Ezra would have made a good CIA operative and, certainly, he was a good undercover agent for Team 7. As it was, Chris had no idea how Ezra had taken this open admission of interest in men. A slight twist of lips and the raise of Ezra's glass was all the acknowledgment Chris gained but it was enough for now.

Eventually the topic of conversation moved on and Chris was glad that only JD had seemed taken aback by this revelation. Even so, he knew JD held no malice against him, coming from a generation that was far more tolerant and enlightened than some of his own. As the evening wore on, one by one the others made their excuses and left. Buck had a date with another new conquest and JD was still seeing Casey. Nathan was married with a child on the way, and had agreed not to stay out too late this evening, while Josiah helped out at a local soup kitchen twice a week. Chris was not that surprised when Ezra lingered even though, usually, he was the first to make his excuses and leave. Instead Ezra pulled out a deck of cards when it was down to just the three of them.

"Perhaps a game of chance, gentlemen?"

"Sorry, Ez. Can't stay," Vin murmured, sending a look towards Chris that was kind and supportive. They had always had a knack for reading each other and Chris was relieved to have Vin's approval even if he didn't need it.

Chris nodded back as Vin pushed up from the table, offering a respectful nod in return that was aimed at both of them, before walking away. He left Chris nursing his drink with Ezra, who continued to shuffle the cards while he waited for some sign from Chris. The silence stretched between them, and though it was comfortable for the most part, Chris could almost hear the cogs turning in Ezra's brain.

"Might as well say what's on your mind," Chris said softly.

Ezra grinned but instead of talking, he dealt the cards. Intrigued, Chris gathered his up and looked at them, quickly ordering the cards into a more interesting sequence. Eventually Ezra would start talking, if only to fill the vacuum of silence between them but Chris knew he would wait until they were playing, sliding the words in while he thought Chris was distracted by the hand of cards. Sure enough, as he dealt a new card when Chris tapped the tabletop, he took on that nonchalant expression that Chris knew foreshadowed a more intimate conversation.

"I must admit to some bewilderment following your...mostly unnecessary declaration." Ezra's eyes met his for a moment and though he tried to hide it, Chris could read the intrigue in them. "Might I surmise that you intended everyone to know...openly for good reason?"

"Maybe."

Ezra threw a few chips to the center of the table and they played some more before he spoke again. "If I might be so bold, I have not been...unaware of your attention."

In his time, Chris had faced down angry drug lords and their enforcers, and he felt that same sensation of fear and anticipation flutter through him at Ezra's words. He hadn't exactly made his interest in Ezra obvious but he had hoped that someone as attuned to body language as Ezra would have noticed anyway. Hell, maybe he had relied upon Ezra noticing but now he had been called on it, Chris wasn't so sure how he wanted to play it. He could bluff his way out, and pretend that Ezra had nothing to do with his reason for _coming out_ to the team. Or he could stop being such a coward and finally let go of Sarah and Adam, and give himself this ghost of a chance to love again. Looking into Ezra's eyes, he realized he had made his choice the moment he told the team that he was not averse to bedding men as well as women. Ezra must have read the answer in Chris's expression because he smiled wryly.

"What an atrocious hand," Ezra murmured as he gazed at his cards, and Chris couldn't help but smile at the obvious bluff. "Perhaps we should postpone this game..." his hand fluttered over the table, "...For another day and seek alternative entertainment."

There was no need to guess what entertainment Ezra had in mind and, though his belly flip-flopped at the prospect, Chris answered by folding his hand, watching as Ezra gathered up the cards and chips with hands that did not seem quite as steady as usual. It made Chris smile again, realizing that Ezra was just as fearful and excited as Chris.

****

Some things--once learned--what not so easily forgotten, and Chris sighed as his hands mapped the hard curves and muscle of Ezra's chest before leaning in to suck and bite on a nipple. Ezra moaned in lustful appreciation, as decadent in this as he was in most everything else. He stretched beneath Chris, arching up in an avaricious demand for more, and Chris let out a soft moan too as their hard cocks slid together across sweat and precome-slicked skin. He had fantasized about this so many times before this day, imagining the feel of Ezra's body beneath him, but the reality was so much better than anything he could possibly have dreamed up. Ezra knew exactly what he wanted, gradually maneuvering Chris and wrapping his legs around Chris's waist, offering everything. Flipping Ezra over, Chris's lubed fingers prepared Ezra quickly, both of them impatient for more, but the pace slowed when Ezra turned beneath him, taking the foil packet from Chris's slippery fingers and rolling the condom down over Chris's hard cock.

"I've wanted this a long time. I don't plan on missing the show," Ezra murmured, and Chris understood that they both needed this face-to-face, seeing the build up of emotion and the openness that came with release.

Sliding into Ezra was a moment of sheer perfection, feeling strong muscles clamp around his length, drawing him in further until they were moving in counter-sync, with only the slap of flesh on flesh and soft moans breaking the silence. He felt Ezra digging in his heels as his climax approached, and let himself go, throwing back his head in pleasure.

Chris had expected Ezra to be just as vocal in sex as he was the rest of the time. He had half expected that southern drawl telling him where to touch as Ezra had never been shy when there was something he wanted but Ezra had grabbed his own cock, fisting himself to reach his climax only seconds after Chris, and the sheer pressure of his clenching muscles around Chris's over stimulated cock brought another spike of pleasure that was almost too unbearable.

Afterwards, as they lay back on the bed, sated and drowsy, Ezra seemed intent on making up for the silence, talking of people and places he must have learned from an encyclopedia--judging by the five-dollar words he was using--and somehow that was perfect too.

****

One month later:

Chris crashed to his knees in the middle of the street outside Ezra's home; a home he now shared with Ezra. The gun barrel tilted down until it was resting on the road surface, only loosely held in his fingers. Barely five feet away, Ezra lay lifeless in an ever-increasing pool of blood while the echo of gunshots still reverberated around Chris's brain. He looked beyond the fallen figure of his lover as Ella Gaines stepped out from the shadows, moving slowly towards him with her face tooled into an expression of mock compassion and sorrow--emotions that were foreign to her in reality. She scarcely took note of the other dead body lying on the street--the man she had hired through a go-between to kill Ezra, and whom Chris had taken out in return.

"I'm so sorry, my love, but I couldn't let him come between us. We belong together. You and me. And I have such wonderful plans for us. And children. You always wanted children, and horses. Beautiful horses. I can give you all of those things and so much more."

"You bitch," Chris choked out, letting his head drop so he no longer had to see the insanity all too visible in her eyes.

She came closer, smiling sadly. "I do forgive you, Chris. And once you are back where you belong at my side, you will forget all the others."

Chris tightened his hold on his gun and raised his arm, aiming at her black heart. "And what if I don't want to?"

"Oh Chris. You can't shoot me."

Ezra rolled suddenly; a small derringer slotting into his hand from the old-fashioned but effective contraption he had put on earlier. He aimed it right between Ella's eyes. "But I can," he stated.

"NO!" she exclaimed in disbelief, stepping backwards as Ezra eased to his knees beside Chris. "No. This can't be. How?"

Using his other hand, Ezra pulled back his dress shirt to reveal the almost empty bags of blood taped to his chest.

"Blanks," came a voice from behind Ella, and she spun around. Chris watched as the other _dead_ man moved swiftly to his feet, drawing another gun from an ankle holster in the process. "But no blanks in this one," Vin stated, and winked at Ella.

By now Chris was grinning, enjoying Ella's shock as she realized she had been played for a fool. The whole operation had been Buck's idea--using Vin as a gun-for-hire. Chris knew Ella would make that hire through a middle-man but they had all gambled on Ella not be able to resist being there to witness the death of her latest rival for Chris's affection. Chris watched dispassionately as Buck stepped out of a nearby alleyway with the rest of the team, who had been waiting to arrest her. They had enough evidence gathered from the murder of Sarah and Adam, and now from the attempted murder of Ezra, to send her to death row--or at the very least to an asylum for life should she be deemed insane.

Chris sank back down as Buck bundled her into the back of a police car, bowing his head in relief that, finally, it was over. She had hidden in the shadows for years, always staying one step ahead of the investigation teams by making use of her contacts within the intelligence agencies of various countries. Originally, Chris had been totally against drawing her out into the open using Ezra as bait, afraid that if they misjudged her for one second then he would lose everything once more. He didn't think he could survive such a loss for a second time.

He felt movement beside him as Ezra clambered to his feet with less grace than usual, and then a hand was thrust out towards him. Chris reached back, clamping his hand around the offered forearm and allowed Ezra to pull him to his feet. He felt a strong, familiar arm encircle his waist as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder and let his own arm mirror that move, pulling Ezra tight to his side.

"Let's go home," he murmured and felt his heart lighten at the sound of Ezra's soft laugh. He locked forearms with Vin on passing, rested a hand momentarily on JD's back and nodded his appreciation to Nathan and Josiah. No one followed, as if realizing that Chris needed some space now, and some time alone with Ezra. When they reached the door at the top of a small flight of steps, Chris turned and saw Buck standing beside his car door. He nodded and saw Buck nod and grin broadly in return.

The door closed behind them, cutting off the outside world.

"Of course, this shirt is ruined," Ezra stated as he pulled it off gingerly and pushed it into a plastic bag he had left right inside the door just for this reason. His pants followed, along with the rest of his clothing, until he was standing naked in front of a suddenly, very appreciative Chris. When Ezra turned and walked away, heading for the downstairs shower room, Chris's appreciation of the back view increased tenfold and he quickly pulled off his own clothing, reaching the shower moments after Ezra stepped under the warm spray. He slid in behind Ezra, unable to resist touching the water-slicked curve of Ezra's ass.

"Figured since I helped make this mess, I should help clean up."

"Actually," Ezra replied, "Nathan made this mess by triggering the tiny explosive cap to rupture the bag when Vin fired."

Chris crowded Ezra against the quickly warming tiled wall. "If you think I'm going to allow Nathan to--"

"Oh no. As much as I admire Mr. Jackson, I believe my heart already belongs to another."

Before Chris could respond, Ezra was kissing him, and they remained locked in a lover's embrace as the fake blood swirled around their ankles, draining away along with all the remaining fear that still darkened Chris's soul. He knew there was still the trial and sentencing, and that he might never see full closure--with her death--but for now it was more than enough to let him feel that he could live and love freely once again.

And Chris could think of no place better to spend that life and freedom than with Ezra.

END


End file.
